


Next Time Around

by heartheldhostage



Category: Haven - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 17:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2158482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartheldhostage/pseuds/heartheldhostage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Barn starts to implode, Duke jumps in to save Audrey. He didn't expect to take over for Howard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Next Time Around

_Nathan distracted Duke long enough to grab the gun from his hand._   
_Audrey hurried into the Barn and closed the door behind her._   
_Unable to get in the door, Nathan threatened Howard._   
_Jordan couldn't let Nathan kill Howard; she fired her weapon twice, hitting Nathan both times._   
_Nathan shot Howard anyway._   
_Duke grabbed the gun back from Nathan, catching him as he collapsed, and fired at Jordan._   
_Jordan felt two burning, searing pains and then nothing._   
_The Barn was dying along with Howard._   
_The meteors were falling faster, closer. The town was paying for his arrogance._   
_“Save her,” Nathan begged Duke._   
_Duke ran; Nathan watched, helpless, as Duke jumped into the Barn._   
_Visible damage to the structure suddenly began to reverse. The Barn was healing._   
_Nathan turned to look at Howard. The man's body was gone._   
_Returning his attention to the Barn, Nathan watched it vanish – gone for twenty-seven years._   
_Nathan felt the tears flow down his cheeks as he whispered, “Audrey.”_

 

The tall, handsome owner of the bar walked up to Mandie and said, “I need a favor, sweetheart.”

Mandie cocked her hip and eyed him curiously, her smile revealing that she wouldn't mind doing him all kinds of favors. “What can I do for you, darlin'?” she asked as she slid her finger down his chest.

He licked his lips and smiled seductively at her. “I have a friend who owns a bar in a little town in Maine. He needs someone he can trust to help out for a while. He's been pretty sick and can't handle it alone right now. Would you mind a change of scenery for a few weeks?”

“For you? I'd even spend a few weeks working in Alaska,” she said grinning as she faked a shiver.

 

Dwight walked into The Grey Gull after the evening rush and sat at the bar. “Got a minute?” he asked the nearly sixty year old bar owner.

“Always, Dwight. What's on your mind?” He slid a beer to his friend.

Dwight drank some of his beer without speaking, staring at the people around them. Finally, he turned toward the man and said, “It's almost time, Nathan. She'll be back soon.”

Nathan looked down at the counter and nodded. “Yeah, I know. I'm just hoping I don't end up seeing her much. Don't know if I could take it.”

“You're Trouble is back, isn't it?” Dwight asked, stated actually.

Nathan nodded again. “I'm surprised it ever went away,” he said honestly and grabbed himself a beer.

“Damn, you two look _old_ ,” came a familiar voice from the deck doors.

“Duke!” Nathan exclaimed, coming quickly around the bar and grabbing his friend by the shoulders. “You're alive!” Nathan engulfed Duke in a hug. It was a minute or two before either man let go. “What the hell happened?”

Duke looked at Dwight and Nathan and said, “We need to talk – privately.”

The three of them climbed the stairs to the apartment above The Gull. Nathan turned on the lights and everyone settled at the worn kitchen table.

“You've done a fantastic job with The Gull, Nathan, thank you.” Duke said quietly.

Nathan shook off the compliment. “Least I could do since I figured I'd gotten you killed.” He took another swallow of his beer. “You're the new Howard, aren't you?”

Duke nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.”

“How long was it for you in there?” Dwight asked, “You haven't changed a bit.”

“Not long at all. About three hours, I'd say.”

“Did you...how is...damn it!” Nathan shook his head. He had so many questions that he didn't know where to start. “James?” he finally asked looking Duke in the eye.

“I can't tell you, Nathan. I know, but I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but if I do, then the Barn will suffer more damage. It's still healing from Howard's death. I'm sorry.”

Nathan bowed his head. He had grown enough in the last twenty-seven years that he didn't mind letting his friends see the tears that fell from his eyes.

“What can you tell us Duke?” Dwight asked. “Is there anything we need to know? Anything we can do?”

Duke shook his head. “Aud... _she's_ the one being punished. She has to figure things out on her own and correct her mistakes. There's nothing any of us can do except be her friends.”

“Nathan,” Duke began, “She knows me, for this time around, as Duke Hansen, bar owner. Her name is Mandie Knight. She's coming here as a favor to me to help out an old friend of mine, a bar owner who's been sick and needs a little extra help. She's coming back to The Gull.”

Nathan's head snapped up. “No. No, Duke, you can't do this to me!”

“I'm not, Nathan,” Duke said calmly. “It was her choice. She had an hour after entering the Barn, nine years or so for you, to decide who to come back as. She wanted to be near you.”

Nathan got up and began pacing the small apartment. “No.” he said again. “Duke, I can't do it. I can't be that close to her. I tried to get on with my life. I married, had kids, and then lost them all because I couldn't forget what happened, couldn't forget what I lost. I can't get that close and lose everything again.”

“Nathan,” Dwight said softly, “she chose this because she wanted to be near you. She needed to know you're okay. You can give her that much, can't you? For old time's sake?”

“It's just a few months, Nate,” Duke added. “I can talk to Jess and the boys if you'd like.”

“You know about them? How?” Nathan asked in amazement.

“I don't know how to explain it. I just know what's going on in Haven and with people who will be here during this cycle. It's actually kind of freaky.” Duke grimaced.

“Then you know the Guard hasn't had a leader since Vince died,” Dwight said.

“They had a new leader the next week,” Duke announced. “Vince's daughter returned the week after his death. She took over as ME when Gloria retired.”

“Julia Carr?” Nathan asked incredulously.

Duke nodded. “Seems she was hoping we could stop things last time so she wouldn't have to shoulder the responsibility.”

Nathan sat back down at the table. “God, I can't do this. There's no way I can go through all this shit again.”

“Nathan,” Duke roughly grabbed Nathan by the collar when it seemed he wouldn't answer. “Nate! It's been twenty-seven years for you. It's been three hours for me. Three miserable, fucking hours. You've had a long time to recover. I'm still fighting this fight today. If I can do this, then you certainly can.” Duke let Nathan go reluctantly.

Nathan hadn't thought about what Duke was still going through. He supposed Duke was right. He'd screwed up before and nearly destroyed Haven. Duke was in this position because of him; he'd saved Nathan and the town. Nathan owed him this much and more.

“Okay,” Nathan said softly.

“I'll be right here with you, Nathan, right by your side,” Dwight assured him.

“I'm a phone call away,” Duke said,” but the less Mandie sees me, the better. I will not be far away, Nate.”

“When does she get here?” Nathan asked.

“In two days,” Duke answered.

Dwight thought for a moment then looked up. “Are you still Troubled?”

“I don't know, Sasquatch. Troubles don't work in the Barn. I don't know if I'm Troubled out here or not. Even if I am, I can't help. I can only guide Mandie from a distance. I'm not allowed to interfere.”

Dwight pulled a knife from his pocket and looked at Duke. The question was unspoken but clear in his eyes.

Duke nodded.

As Dwight put the knife to his finger, Nathan stopped him. “We don't even know if your Trouble has activated. Mine has.” He took the knife from Dwight and nicked his own finger. He handed the knife to Duke.

Duke took a deep breath and wiped the knife on the back of his hand. His skin didn't absorb Nathan's blood.

“This is going to get interesting without the Crocker Curse,” Dwight said. “We have no way to fight the deadliest Troubles.”

Duke looked out the window into the darkening night. Nathan took a gulp of his beer. Dwight put his knife away.

 

She would be here today. Nathan had cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned the Gull again. He'd arranged a room for her at the B&B on the waterfront. He had done everything he could think of to make her feel at home, including ensuring a fresh supply of shrimp was stocked in The Gull's kitchen. He was as ready as he could be.

He wasn't ready at all. He was supposed to have been sick and in need of help with the bar. Yet it looked immaculate. He had stocked the shrimp even as he chastised himself for it because he had no idea what food or drink she would like now. And he still had no idea how to prepare himself to feel her touch...something he knew from experience would be unavoidable when working together.

He glanced in the mirror above the bar on his way to serve a customer and realized that he at least looked the part – the waiting and worrying had made him look like hell. He grabbed a tray of dirty glasses and took them to the kitchen to be washed. He returned to find her, as young and beautiful as ever, standing at the bar waiting to be noticed.

Nathan ducked back into the kitchen and held his breath. No, he had not been prepared for this at all. _Might as well face it head on_ , he thought. He quickly pulled himself together as best he could and went back to the bar. “What can I get for you?” he asked, sounding calm despite the fact that he was trembling inside.

She turned to face him. Her blue eyes and earnest smile shining brighter than the sun in July, she said, “Hi there, sweetie. My name is Mandie. I'm looking for Nathan Wournos. Duke Hansen sent me to help out for a while.”

“I'm Nathan.” He forced a smile as he reached out a hand to shake hers, steeling himself for the familiar jolt of her touch. It didn't come.

Mandie shook his hand, but Nathan did not feel a thing. His heart plummeted as he realized how much he'd wanted to feel her...to feel something. He waved her around the bar and walked her to the office in back. They sat and filled out her paperwork, paperwork that Nathan would never file, and he told her about the job and which locals had grabby hands.

He told her where she would be staying and gave her directions to get there. They agreed she would start the next afternoon, and Mandie left to get settled into her new, albeit temporary, life.

He dialed Duke as soon as Mandie was out the door.

“Everything okay, Nate?” Duke asked with a touch of worry in his voice.

“No, Duke. Something's wrong. I shook her hand, but I didn't feel her touch. Could the Barn have altered her somehow because of what I tried to do?”

Duke rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before he answered, “Nathan, as far as I know, the cycle should be continuing just as before with the exception that I'm the caretaker now. You should be able to feel her touch.

“Listen, how long was it before you felt Audrey? Was it immediately or after you were more comfortable with her?”

“It was later, after Jess left town and before the incident at Carpenter's Knot,” Nathan answered. His memory of that time was clearer than his memory of the birth of his children.

“Then maybe you have to be comfortable with her to feel her touch?” Duke asked. “I don't know what else it could be, Nate.”

“I can tell when you're lying to me, you know.” Nathan sighed. “Maybe you're right. I hadn't even thought of that. Or maybe it's something else entirely, and you can't, or won't, tell me what it is.”

“Nate,” Duke began. He shut his mouth because, after all they'd been through, he couldn't lie to Nathan now.

“It's okay. I understand...mostly.”

“Do you need me? I can be there in a couple of hours.”

“The less she sees you, the better. Remember? We can't afford to damage the Barn any further.”

“Screw the Barn, Nate. If you need me, I _will_ be there.”

“You sound like me twenty-seven years ago. We can't screw it up this time, Duke. _I_ can't screw it up. The cycle has to continue. The Barn has to be there and be functional when The Hunter arrives.”

“I'm sorry, Nate,” Duke said softly.

“For what?”

“I'm sorry I failed to bring her back to you. I'm sorry we've missed the last twenty-seven years. I'm sorry you have to go through this again.”

“You brought her back, Duke, just not in a way either of us wanted or expected, but that isn't your fault. As for going through this again - I could have left Haven years ago. I'm the one who chose to stay. I do regret the time we've lost. I'd give anything to have that back,” Nathan nearly whispered.

“I never said it before because I was terrified, but the truth is that Audrey was never the one I was in love with. It was you, Nate. I was, and still am, in love with you.”

“I know. I've always known, and I could kick myself for not telling you that I felt the same way. I was afraid, too. I'm glad I've got the chance to say it to you now. I love you, Duke. I've missed you more than you can possibly know.”

“Nate,” Duke said.

“Yeah?”

“That's why you can't feel her. Your love for me is stronger now than your love for her.”

Nathan could hear the pain and heartache in Duke's voice, and was sure Duke could hear it is his. “Yes, it is. I should have gone into that Barn with you. I'll never forgive myself for that, Duke, never.”

“Our sacrifice won't be for nothing. I promise you, Nate, I will find a way to end this. I don't care what I have to do. It may take years, but I will do it. I'll do it for you.” Duke disconnected the call.

 

Dwight was sitting at the bar chatting with Nathan when Mandie arrived for her shift the next afternoon. Nathan had asked Dwight to be there and stick around for a while, just in case, but Dwight had already planned on that anyway. He figured Nathan could use some support, and he damn sure knew he could use some for himself.

To anyone else, Dwight appeared as solid and unruffled as ever. He knew that Nathan saw the slight jaw clench, the brief flash of astonishment in his eyes, and the hardly perceptible shift in position. Dwight was shaken nearly as badly at the sight of Mandie as Nathan had been.

It's not like he hadn't expected her. He'd known twenty-seven years ago that this woman would return to Haven. Her hair, short and black, and her taste in clothing, low cut tops and short skirts, were the only visible indicators that she wasn't Audrey Parker.

She was electric, nearly suffocating in her effervescent personality. She didn't meet a customer with whom she didn't flirt, male or female, though he doubted she would have agreed. She even flirted with Nathan, but not so overtly. Yet she didn't come off as the type of woman who would sleep with just anyone. She was just friendly, overly so at times. She would make a fortune in tips during tourist season, assuming she wasn't fighting Troubles too often to run her shifts.

She chose to sit with Dwight on her break. “What's with you, big guy? You live here or something?” she asked teasing him.

“No,” he smiled. “It's the anniversary of a very bad day so I figured I'd try to forget myself for a while. How are you liking it so far?” he asked.

“It's okay. So far. Not as busy as I'm used to, but not so dead that I can't stand it. I hope Nathan trusts me enough to give me more responsibility soon. He really should be resting instead of working so hard.”

Dwight didn't hide his smile as Nathan stepped up in time to hear him say, “Trying to get Nathan Wournos to rest is like trying to ski uphill in an avalanche.”

“You'd be one to talk about avalanches, Sasquatch,” Nathan smirked.

Dwight smirked back and pointed his finger at Nathan. “Oh no, you don't call me that, and I won't call you chief.”

Nathan smiled as he looked out the window and followed the clouds over the water with his eyes. “How can something so long ago feel like it was just yesterday?”

“And how can it hurt just as bad after all this time?” Dwight downed the last of his beer. Nathan slid him another bottle.

“Feeling a little left out here guys. Tell me what's up so I can feel bad too.” Mandie teased. She expected something like a graduation or reunion-gone-wrong story.

Dwight glanced at her sideways. “My little girl was killed thirty-five years ago today.”

“Oh! I'm sorry! Now I really do feel bad. I shouldn't have asked. I'm so sorry,” Mandie said.

“It's okay,” Dwight assured her. “It was a long time ago. Some days are still hard though.”

Mandie opened her mouth to apologize again just as a fight broke out in the corner. Dwight, still in excellent shape, was on his feet in a flash. He grabbed the two drunk fishermen and pulled them apart. They tried to lunge at each other again.

“Keep it up, and I'll knock your heads together so hard you won't wake up until next week,” Dwight bellowed.

The fishermen calmed down, and Dwight sat them across from each other at the nearest table. He stood with his arms crossed and dared them with his expression to try and move.

Nathan had called the Haven PD as soon as Dwight had jumped from his stool. He still knew the number by heart after all this time. It was less than five minutes before the cops walked in.

“What'cha got, Nathan?”

“Just a couple of drunk fishermen fighting, Stan. Thanks for coming.”

Stan noticed the woman sitting at the bar. It was all he could do to focus on the immediate situation. “Take 'em down to the station, guys,” Stan instructed his officers as Dwight returned to the bar.

“Nice to see you, Dwight,” Stan said.

“Good to see you, Chief. How are things?”

“Not bad yet. Been meaning to call and ask if you're interested in a little work.”

Nathan's head popped up.

“May need you, too, Nathan. I've never dealt directly with any of this before. Just ran the background for you and Audrey.”

“Whatever we can do, Stan. May have a little extra help, too. Meet Mandie Knight, my new bartender.” Nathan moved to his side so Stan could see the woman that half town was talking about.

Stan caught himself before saying something too familiar. “Nice to meet you, Mandie.” He shook her hand.

Dwight and Stan walked outside to discuss business. Mandie asked Nathan, “Why is the big guy not your bouncer? He's not one too many people would mess with.”

“He usually hangs around during tourist season for some cash under the table and a few drinks. Really not much need of a bouncer the rest of the time.”

She wanted to ask him another question, but her break was over. She got back to work, fully intending to ask Nathan later what 'work' he'd just volunteered her for.

It was an answer she didn't have to wait long to get.

 

About two hours after the fight, a young man came in and sat at a table. Mandie took over a glass of water and silverware wrapped in a napkin. “What can I get for you, handsome?”

He smiled unenthusiastically at her and asked if there was any fresh shrimp. At her nod, he ordered a plate of fried shrimp with hush puppies and slaw.

Nathan was talking to Dwight. It wasn't very busy now and it would dwindle more and more until closing time in an hour. It was a lucky thing.

When the shrimp was ready, Mandie took the plate of food to the young man who was still sitting alone. He ate in silence.

Nathan had asked Tracy to fry a double order. He and Dwight were waiting for Mandie to join them so they could offer her some.

As Mandie sat beside Dwight, Nathan pushed the plate toward her and asked, “Have a bite with us?”

“Eew! No!” She jumped back from the bar and held her nose. The shrimp had gone bad.

Tracy rushed from the kitchen. “Nathan, you're not going to believe this, but that entire order of shrimp has gone bad.”

Nathan looked around the room and saw that it was Bill McShaw, Jr. eating the order of shrimp Mandie had taken to him. “Yeah, Tracy, I do believe it. Throw it out. Also everything you used to make the hush puppies and slaw.”

“Everything?” Tracy asked.

“Everything,” he said. He nodded to Dwight then turned to Mandie and said,” Come with me, would you?”

Curious, Mandie walked with him to the young man's table. “Mind if we join you a minute, Billy?”

“Of course not, Mr. Wournos. Please, sit down.”

“At the risk of getting too personal, Billy, I have to ask what's been bothering you today?” Nathan dived in. He knew there was no way around it. He also knew that whatever the problem was it had to have occurred today because there was no outbreak of spoiled food in town.

Billy lowered his gaze. “I thought everyone knew by now. My mom passed away this morning, Mr. Wournos.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. I really am. Your mother was a good woman. She was always there to help me when I first took over The Gull.”

“She always had good things to say about you, Mr. Wournos,” Billy said.

“How well do you remember your dad, Billy?”

“I remember he was good at making things, he was kind, gentle, loving, always had a smile.”

“He didn't always smile,” Nathan said. He noticed Mandie watching them closely. “Your uncle Jeff died before you were born. He and your dad didn't always get along. They tried to run this place together, it was The Second Chance then, but they never seemed to be able to agree on anything. Their constant arguing and the stress of being in debt caused your dad some real trouble.”

Billy stared at Nathan. “You mean that kind of trouble?”

“Yes, Billy, that kind of trouble. No matter what he ate, the ingredients used to prepare it spoiled immediately if he got upset. Not just a few ears of corn from a garden but all the ears of corn from that garden. An entire apple orchard, every lobster from a day's catch, it all went bad if he was upset when he ate any of it.”

Mandie's eyes went wide as she began to understand what Nathan was saying.

“Why are you telling me this, Mr. Wournos?”

“Look down at your plate, Billy,” Nathan said softly. The food in the plate looked as though it had been sitting there for months.

“Oh god,” Billy moaned. “How much?” He looked at Nathan.

“I had Tracy throw it all out just in case.”

“I'll pay you for all of it,” Billy said reaching for his wallet.

Nathan grabbed his arm. “No, Billy. I'm not worried about that. If you eat something from a shipment that other people eat from, then they'll end up in the hospital getting their stomachs pumped. We need to find a way for you to deal with this.”

“How did my dad deal with it?” he asked.

Nathan turned to Mandie. “Can you think of anything to help Billy?”

Mandie ignored Nathan and spoke directly to Billy. “Antidepressants may help you, Billy. You should avoid as much stress as possible, grow as much of your own food as you can, and maybe get some counseling to help you learn some coping techniques. Most of all – don't eat when you're stressed.”

Billy nodded. “That makes sense. I'll make the appointments first thing in the morning. There's some food mom had preserved in the cellar.”

Dwight walked up to the table. “I've got you a package ready from the kitchen, Billy,” he said. “We'll make sure you have enough safe food to eat until you get control.”

Billy reached again for his wallet. Again Nathan stopped him. “Meg never let me pay her a penny for all her help here. No way are you paying me anything, Billy.”

“Come on, Billy,” Dwight said softly. “I've got everything already loaded in my truck. I'll follow you home.”

As the door closed behind Billy and Dwight, Mandie turned on Nathan, half in anger and half in astonishment, she asked, “Is this the kind of 'work' you volunteered me for to the chief?”

Nathan sighed. “This was an easy one. They get much worse. Yeah, I volunteered you because I sensed you'd be good at it. You just proved you are.”

She paced the bar as Nathan said goodnight to the last customers and closed the door. It was Mandie's job to clean the bar and the dining area, but Tracy came out of the kitchen and got right into it without being asked.

“Explain this to me,” Mandie demanded as soon as Nathan was free.

He indicated a clean table for her to sit at as he grabbed glasses and a bottle of scotch and joined her. He spent the next hour explaining about Haven, its citizens, and the Troubles. As Nathan was finishing, Tracy stopped by the table on her way to clock out.

“Dining room and kitchen are clean and ready for tomorrow, Nathan.”

“Thanks, Tracy. How did you know?”

“I asked Dwight who he was making a care package for. I knew what was happening when he told me it was Billy McShaw.”

Tracy turned to better face Mandie. “I know this must sound fantastical, but it's all true. My husband's body sped up so fast that normal human eyes can't even see him. He's effectively dead to all of us. My son has to keep calm or the same thing will happen to him. The Troubles aren't easy to deal with. We've been lucky to have Nathan around to help. You should listen to him and trust him, Mandie. He won't steer you wrong.” Tracy left them to finish their conversation.

Mandie downed her third glass of scotch before saying, “This is going to take a while to sink in. I'm going back to the B&B. I'll be in for work tomorrow, but I really think we need to talk about this more.”

Nathan nodded. Her reaction was pretty much what he had expected. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

 

Nathan locked the doors behind Mandie as she left and double checked the others. He knew he didn't need to worry about it because Tracy was a model of efficiency. He was avoiding going home alone. He was trying to avoid his own thoughts, as if he ever could.

He doubted he would sleep at all tonight. He figured he could waste some time with a shower and write out checks for some bills. He didn't expect to find Duke sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

“How did she do?” Duke asked.

Nathan grinned. “Like she never left. She's shocked, but she jumped right in to help Billy McShaw.”

“Billy? His Trouble activated?”

“Meg passed away this morning.” Nathan said.

Duke shook his head. “It seems like yesterday that I took over the bar from Bill.”

“It seems like yesterday that I took over the bar from you.” Nathan sat beside Duke on the couch. There were so many things to be said, yet neither of them could think of anything to say.

Duke reached out to take Nathan's hand in his own. Nathan jumped and jerked his hand away.

“Nate, if this is about that phone call...”

“No, Duke. I can feel you.”

Duke searched Nathan's eyes. “You can't imagine how long I've wanted to hear you say that.”

Nathan reached out and traced Duke's hand with his fingers. Duke sighed as Nathan locked their fingers together. He slid his arm around Nathan and closed his eyes.

Nathan snuggled closer to Duke, clinging to the normalcy of feeling another human's touch. He sighed when Duke kissed the top of his head. He turned his face up to Duke and gently kissed the lips he'd so long yearned for.

Duke returned Nathan's kiss, letting Nathan take the lead. They both knew that in a few short months they would be separated and probably never see each other again. It tore at Duke's heart, but he wanted to spend as much time with Nathan as possible. There were already too many lost moments and too much regret.

Nathan deepened their kiss and pulled Duke closer. They spent hours just being together and finally fell asleep holding each other close.

Duke was gone when he woke. Nathan wanted to be angry but couldn't. Mandie couldn't see Duke in town right now. He found Duke's note promising to see him soon and smiled.

 

Mandie wasn't scheduled to work until 4:00 P.M. Nathan was surprised to see her come rushing at him at 11:00 A.M.

“Office. Now,” she demanded in a voice that could only be described as a growl.

She might not be Audrey Parker, but Nathan knew that tone. He slid the bottle of beer he had just opened down the bar to the customer who had ordered it and followed Mandie to his office.

He closed them door behind him and calmly asked, “What's wrong, Mandie?”

“Someone slid this under my door sometime last night.” She slammed a photo and envelope down on his desk.

He walked to his desk and sat in his chair. He didn't bother picking up the photo. He looked up at her, waiting for the questions to start.

“Is that you?”

“It's me, and that's Audrey Parker. She was my partner for a time when I was a cop.”

“Why do we look so much alike?”

Nathan considered his words carefully. He had to tell her enough to keep her interested and direct her anger away from him, but not enough to chance damaging the Barn again. “Audrey came to Haven on an FBI case. While she was here, she found a photo of a woman we thought might be her mother. She stayed to investigate. Maybe you're related.”

“Did she find the woman?”

Nathan sighed with the memories. “The woman vanished years before Audrey arrived. We discovered her name, but it turned out the identity was stolen from another woman. We never met the woman in the photo Audrey found.”

He watched Mandie pick up the photo and stare at it as she paced his small office. This was torture. He wanted to tell her everything so he could free her and Duke from that damn Barn, but he knew what would happen to Haven if he did.

“Where's Audrey now?”

This was the tricky part. Nathan tried to keep a calm appearance as he said, “Audrey disappeared twenty-seven years ago. She didn't show up for work one day. We discovered that she taken a friend's boat to an island just up the coast. We found the boat. Audrey was never seen in Haven again.”

“No one has any idea what happened to her? You were a cop. Did you just give up on her?” Mandie asked. The fire had left her eyes and voice and was replaced with a sadness deeper than Nathan had expected to see.

“I tried everything I could think of, Mandie. There was nothing I could do. It wasn't long afterward that I quit the PD and started running The Gull. I failed her. I failed my partner when she needed me. I have to live with that every day of my life.”

“You said you sensed that I'd be good at working with the Troubles. Was she good at it?”

“She was the best I've ever seen. Everything I know about dealing with the Troubles I learned from her.”

“And the woman in the photo that Audrey found? Was she good at it?”

“According to some of the people we met who actually remembered her, she was, yes.”

“So this is some kind of hereditary ability?”

“We never knew for sure, but it does seem that way,” he grimaced inwardly at the lie. This was the only real one he'd had to tell her yet so he figured, so far, so good.

“Why didn't you tell me this?”

Nathan sighed. “I didn't know how. Working with the Troubled is hard enough. I couldn't see myself throwing all this at you and making it harder for you.”

“And Duke? Does he know about all of this?”

“Duke's been my friend for years. There's not much about my life that he doesn't know. When he found out that I needed help he decided to ask you because you look so much like Audrey. He was hoping your presence would make me feel young again, make me want to keep fighting.” _Not quite a lie_ , he thought.

“I still don't know what to think about all of this,” she sighed. “I guess the only way to find any real answers is to stay and snoop around.”

Nathan nodded. He tried not to show his pleasure which his voice surely would have done if he'd spoken.

“I'll be back for my shift.” Mandie took the photo and left. She forgot the envelope the photo had been in. Nathan turned it over and found the Guard symbol drawn on it.

 

The weeks went by and the Troubles grew more and more difficult. They saw Troubles they had dealt with before and Troubles they had never seen. Mandie handled it all with grace. She found she really was good at it.

Dwight came in one evening, sat down, and ordered a beer. “Mandie, I need to speak with Nathan. It's important.”

“He's not here today. I found a note this morning that said he'd be back tomorrow. I'm surprised you didn't know that.”

Dwight shook his head. “I just got back from cleaning a scene. That's what I need to discuss with him. It was a bad one, and he's not going to like it.”

“We both know that's why I'm here Dwight. What happened?”

“There's a Trouble we thought was gone long ago. Turns out it's back. We know what the Trouble is and what family it ran in, but there's no one from that family left in Haven that we know of. And that particular Trouble was supposed to have been killed years ago.”

“Wait...you _killed_ a Trouble? Why not just kill them all?”

“It's not that simple. Take a ride with me, and I'll try to explain it to you.”

Mandie didn't hesitate. “Let me tell Tracy.”

Dwight had been talking as he drove. Mandie was rubbing behind her ear with her fingers. “Let me see if I have this straight. There's a Trouble that can kill other Troubles permanently by killing a member of a Troubled family.”

“There was a Trouble like that,” Dwight corrected. “The last member of that family that we were aware of is long gone.”

“Okay, but the last one – he killed a member of the family with the Trouble you're dealing with now. So that Trouble should be dead,” she said.

“Right.”

“What was that Trouble, Dwight, and how do you know it's the same one?”

“The McKees were basically human tasers when their Trouble was activated. One good touch would floor a human being faster and more painfully than a lightning strike. A lingering touch could cause lasting damage. A purposeful, long touch could fry someone faster than an electric chair,” he explained.

“The body found by hikers in the woods had been electrocuted with a pretty high voltage. Had to be the same Trouble.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it couldn't have been a lightning strike or a downed electrical wire?”

Dwight smiled at Mandie before turning his attention back to the road. “I've done this before, Mandie, too many times. There were no wires near the body and no weather disturbances recorded in the area in the last week. I've seen and felt the results of the McKee Trouble first hand. I saw this body. There's no way it wasn't the McKee Trouble that killed him.”

“So the last member of the Trouble killing Troubled family had to be lying about killing a McKee,” she said.

“No. Nathan witnessed it. Jordan McKee was killed by the last member of the other family.”

“So how is this happening?”

“Now you see why I need to talk to Nathan.”

 

It hadn't lasted long enough. All Nathan could think of as he drove was the past twenty hours with Duke. It was flooding over him in flashes...Duke's touch, his kiss, his smile, holding each other, talking about everything and nothing. It was pure bliss. Now it was pure hell because it was over.

Duke had pulled away from him suddenly and said softly, “You have to go, Nate. Mandie needs you.” Duke hadn't wanted to look at Nathan then, but he had still seen the tears in Duke's eyes. He kissed Duke again and headed home.

Nathan had just gotten in the door and shrugged his jacket off when Dwight's truck pulled into the yard. He wiped away the tears he knew must be in his eyes as best he could before he answered the knock at the door.

“Dwight,” Nathan tried to sound as normal as possible, “what's up?”

“There was a body found in the woods day before yesterday. Nathan, the guy was killed by Jordan's Trouble.”

“That's impossible. Du...” Nathan glanced quickly toward Mandie and caught himself. “The last Crocker killed Jordan defending me. I saw it. That curse is dead.”

“I know,” Dwight said as he handed Nathan a Haven PD file.

Nathan took the file to his couch after grabbing a beer for each of them. They sat and studied the photos and the witness statements. They went over Julia's initial assessment, but she hadn't completed the autopsy to file a detailed report yet. He almost felt like the last twenty-seven years had melted away from him. The only thing missing was Duke.

“What do you think Nathan? Is the McKee Trouble really dead? Does a new family have it now?” Mandie asked.

Nathan studied her face. Audrey would have had some crazy theory at this point. Her crazy theories were too often true. “What do you think, Mandie?”

“How would I know?”

“I'm not asking you to know. I'm asking what you think.”

Mandie looked over the file as she thought again about what Dwight had told her. “I don't think this woman Jordan is dead. You had been shot at the time. You said you saw her shot, but you never said what happened to her body.”

“Oh, fuck,” Nathan said as he and Dwight looked at each other.

“Mandie,” Dwight began.

“Wait,” Nathan said. “Let me make a call first.” He stepped out onto his back deck to call Duke. He gasped when he saw Duke waiting for him just out of sight of the doors and windows.

Nathan pretended to make the call and casually walked closer to Duke. “You know what this is about?”

“Yeah,” Duke said. “The Barn sucked Jordan in just like it did Arla. Arla was dead, and she was a murderer. James had rejected her. The Barn dropped her body out in the middle of the ocean.”

“And Jordan?”

“The Barn sensed anger toward her but no hatred. It healed her and dropped her somewhere in Europe. Seems now that her Trouble has returned, she's returned to Haven to make a little trouble of her own.”

“What do we tell Mandie?” Nathan leaned back against the side of the house and put his free hand behind him.

Duke took Nathan's hand reverently in both of his own as he said, “What can you tell her except the truth?”

“What will this do to the Barn?”

“I have no idea. I'll have to be there to find out, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I love you, Nate.”

“I love you, too.”

Nathan felt Duke let go of his hand and heard him walk away. He stood there a moment longer before he returned to Dwight and Mandie.

Dwight leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, studying Nathan's face. “Nathan? You want me to tell her?”

“Tell me what?” Mandie said, clearly not happy to discover that there was more information she didn't know.

Nathan shook his head. “I'll tell you, Mandie. I'll tell you everything I can, but you have to know this: We hid these things to protect you and the Barn because you're the only respite we have from the Troubles.”

Mandie's eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?”

 

Nathan started with the day Audrey Parker came to Haven and told Mandie everything. There were things that Dwight was hearing for the first time, but none of it seemed to surprise him. Mandie listened intently, not once interrupting.

When Nathan was done, she grabbed another beer from the kitchen and took it out on the deck to think.

Dwight looked at Nathan and asked softly, “You were with Duke today?”

“Yeah.”

Dwight smiled sadly. “Better late than never.”

“You knew?”

“I suspected. I had figured that once Audrey went into the Barn that the two of you would turn to each other finally. I hoped you would because it was so obvious to anyone with a brain that you were both in denial.”

Nathan smiled and shook his head.

“Figures you would have seen it, Sasquatch,” Duke said from the doorway. He walked over to sit beside Nathan.

Nathan took his hand, squeezing it tightly. “The Barn?”

“It's fine,” Duke said, “for now. It all depends on Mandie. She knows now that she has control over the Barn. Her control overrides mine. I won't be able to come and go as I'd like anymore – only as needed.”

“How can her control override the caretaker's when the Barn is her punishment?” Dwight asked.

“She has to correct her mistakes. She needs the Barn to be able to do that. I can't interfere. When, if, she finally uses the Barn to do that, all of this mess will be over.”

“And she has to figure out how to do that and be willing to on her own,” Dwight said.

Duke nodded.

“What is it she has to do?” Nathan asked.

“She has to fix love,” Duke said. “Don't ask me exactly what that means because I don't know. It's all the information I've been given.”

Mandie returned to the living room and sat on the table. “Haven PD isn't exactly looking for this Jordan woman, are they?”

“No,” Dwight said. “Those that knew her think she died twenty-seven years ago.”

She nodded and finally looked at Duke. “You knew me as Audrey, too.”

“Yes.”

“You loved her, too,” Mandie said.

“She was like my sister. I loved her very much. I even thought I was in love with her for a while.”

“You never even let on that you knew any of this.”

“I couldn't, Mandie. It was the only way to keep you safe.”

She nodded again.”There's no other Crocker that can help us?”

Duke shook his head. “None that wouldn't go mad and start killing for the thrill of the blood.”

“What about Jean,” Dwight asked. “Does she have Beatty's Trouble or yours?”

“Beatty wondered about that, too. She visited Jean and 'accidentally' cut herself. Jean didn't respond to her blood.”

“So how do we stop Jordan if we find her?” Mandie asked.

“The only two people who can touch her are you and Nathan. She hates you both – Nathan for choosing Audrey, and Audrey for the Troubles,” Dwight said.

“She thinks Audrey caused the Troubles?”

Dwight nodded. “She thinks that the person you originally were started the Troubles.”

“Is this true?”

“No one knows,” Nathan answered.

Duke looked away.

“Duke,” Mandie prodded.

“You didn't do it directly. It was done because of you. The Troubles were started because a witch was angry at you for something you did.”

“What did I do?”

“I don't know any more than that.”

“So you don't know how I can end all of this?”

Duke shook his head. “I wish I did.”

“So I guess the first thing we do is find Jordan,” Dwight said.

“I'll call Stan and get him to issue a description of her,” Nathan said.

“Maybe I can find her from the Barn,” Duke said.

“I thought you weren't supposed to help,” Mandie half asked.

“I'm not supposed to, but I'm hoping the Barn will see this as extenuating circumstances. I'll be back as soon as I can.” Duke squeezed Nathan's hand and left.

Nathan went to the kitchen to call Stan. Mandie looked at Dwight. “They would be together if not for me...Audrey?”

“They probably would by now, but back then, neither one of them was ready to admit how he really felt.”

“Oh yeah? It still is back then for Duke.”

“Maybe, but he's been through as much pain as the rest of us have. I think that makes a difference.”

“Maybe so.” Mandie got up and paced the room. “How could I have been so stupid?' How could I have come between them?”

“Mandie, there was no them when you were here as Audrey,” Nathan said returning to the living room. “In fact, Duke and I probably would never have been friends again if Audrey hadn't pushed so hard for it. I owe you for that. You brought Duke back into my life no matter how hard I fought against it.”

Mandie looked away without responding to Nathan.

Dwight broke the silence, “Stan able to help?”

“Yeah, he's got a bulletin out with orders not to approach. No need in getting anyone hurt if Jordan spooks.”

Dwight nodded his agreement. “We should check her old haunts. Maybe she's still hanging around somewhere she feels safe.”

Mandie, who had not stopped pacing, fell to her knees. Nathan and Dwight rushed to her side. Between gasps for breath, Mandie said, “The caretaker shack at the cemetery.” Mandie passed out.

 

_She was running heedlessly through the woods with only starlight through the trees providing any light. She had to get away. No one would understand why she was here...why she had turned to him. They would kill her._

_She tripped over a tangle of roots and fell on her face. She climbed to her feet and continued to run. They were closer now. She could see the glow of torches not far away. They were closer, and she was near the cliff. She kept running._

_She shouldn't have come. He was the only one who could help her – she still shouldn't have come. Yet she had no choice. None of them would understand._

_She was standing on Tuwiuwok Bluff. She could see torches to her left, to her right, and, when she turned her head, behind her. She was caught._

_Her only escape was to jump. Her family would never know what had become of her if she did. She could only hope her family would not be forced to watch her death for adultery – a crime of which she was not guilty._

_They wouldn't understand. They would believe she was sleeping with him – another woman's husband. They could never know the truth, and they would not believe her to be innocent._

_He was the only one who could brew the potion which kept her son alive. To reveal that would result in him burning as a witch. The only way to save his life, and ensure that he would continue to help her son by providing the potion, was to let them all believe she was sleeping with him._

_She would be stoned as an adulteress. His punishment would be far less severe – a ruined reputation from which he could recover given time and proper behavior and a writ of divorcement for his wife._

_She didn't cry out as they roughly grabbed her and dragged her back to the middle of the village. She shed silent tears as the elders discussed her alleged crime. He was there._

_He looked upon her with sorrow. They both knew that the truth would bring two deaths – his and her son's. Letting them believe their suspicions to be true would only result in one death – hers. He kept silent._

_His wife didn't. She demanded her own brand of justice. She was Mi'kmaq after all._

_The villagers thought that, once shoved into the Barn, she would starve to death. They nearly fought his wife on that, but she was the one they assumed to have been wronged. They deferred to her wishes._

_They shoved her slave inside with her, her pleas for her family finally granted. The last thing she saw was his wife screaming at he_ r, “You broke my heart! You broke my love for my husband! You will suffer this cycle until you fix love!”

 

Mandie opened her eyes before Nathan could call 911. With Dwight's help, she stood up and tried to catch her breath. “I know what we have to do, but you may not like it. We have to find Jordan and take her with us to find the Barn.”

“Finding Jordan won't be easy, and she certainly won't be cooperative in helping us with anything to do with the Barn.”

“She will if she wants her life back,” Mandie said firmly. She stood and looked at Dwight and Nathan. “Are we going or not?”

The men got up and walked to the door behind Mandie.

“You said something about the cemetery. Do you think Jordan would be there?” Nathan asked.

“I don't think it. I know it. That's where the two of you used to meet, and it means something to her. Thank Duke for that knowledge...and more.”

Dwight and Nathan had more questions, but Mandie put them off saying she would answer later.

Mandie spent the drive to the cemetery thinking about the images that had flashed through her mind while she was unconscious. She had only been out for a few seconds, but she now had a lifetime of memories from her past..her real past.

She was relieved to know who she truly was, but it broke her heart because she had some idea what had become of her family. If she survived this, she would certainly reach out to her descendants.

Her son had had an infection from a cut he'd gotten playing in the water. The man she'd gone to, his name was Joseph Crocker, had brewed a potion that was similar to today's penicillin. It was a knife in her heart to know that it would have been so easy to help her son today.

The man's marriage wasn't the only love that had been broken. Her son must have hated her. He'd have had no reason not to believe the charges against her. She didn't even know if she'd met him as a grown man twenty-seven years after she vanished. She could only imagine her family's pain.

At least there were a couple of things she could put right.

“Wait here,” she said when they climbed out of Dwight's truck. She walked slowly toward the shack at the back of the cemetery.

“Jordan?” she called softly. “Jordan, I'm here to help.”

“You're here to arrest me,” Jordan snarled from the shadows. Her statement was followed by the click of a gun.

“I'm not a cop, Jordan. I'm a bartender. I really am here to help you.”

“How exactly can a bartender help me? You're going to pour me a stiff drink?”

Mandie turned toward Jordan's voice. “I can end it, Jordan. I can end the Troubles. For good. I can give you your life back, not just from this point. I can give you your life from twenty-seven years ago.”

Jordan stared at her, stunned into silence.

Mandie took advantage of Jordan's silence to step closer. She offered her hand for Jordan to shake. “My name is Victoria. I can help you, Jordan, if you'll let me. Come with us. The sooner we can do this, the better for everyone.”

“Do what exactly?” Jordan was still suspicious.

“Go into the Barn and make things right.”

“Go into the Barn? Are you crazy?”

“It's the only way for you to get the last twenty-seven years back, Jordan. You and Nathan, and maybe Dwight, have to come in with me.”

“You can really give me my life back?” The hope in Jordan's voice nearly broke Victoria's heart.

“I honestly believe I can. I'd like the chance to try. If it doesn't work, I'll distract everyone long enough for you to get away. I promise.”

“I have no reason to trust you.” Jordan's face was full of anger and pain.

“No, you don't, but you have little to lose by trusting me compared to what you have to gain.”

Jordan considered the woman's words. She finally reached out, with her bare hand, and grasped the woman's hand.

They walked back to Dwight and Nathan.

“Let's go set things right,” Victoria said.

 

Dwight and Nathan, joined now by Jordan, bombarded her with questions on the way to where the Barn normally appeared. She still refused to answer. “I promise I'll tell you everything you need to know once we're inside the Barn.”

“Why not now?” Jordan asked.

“Because Duke deserves to hear all of this, too.”

Duke walked out of the Barn as they crested the hill. He reached for Nathan's hand and pulled him close.

“Really?” gasped Jordan. She shook her head and walked around in small circles. “Why the hell didn't I see that coming? And why the hell do you still look so freaking young, Crocker?”

“The Barn started imploding when Howard died. Duke jumped in to save Audrey and ended up taking Howard's place as caretaker,” Dwight answered.

“So what's the plan, Mandie?” Nathan asked.

“Actually, my name is Victoria,” she replied. She filled them all in on what she had remembered and what her plan entailed.

“Will it work?” Dwight asked.

“I think, if everyone who enters with me wants the same thing, then yes, it will work.”

“Who wouldn't want it?” Jordan asked.

“That's what we're about to find out.” She turned to Duke. “You want to go back and be with Nathan, right?'

“I want that more than anything,” Duke said as he squeezed Nathan's hand.

Victoria turned to Nathan. “And you want to go back to be with Duke?”

“I'd give anything to have those years back to spend with him.”

“Jordan, you want your life back, right?”

“Very much so.”

“What about Dwight? Do you want to go back and be with him?”

“Wh..what?” Jordan stammered.

“I want that,” Dwight said.

Jordan gasped again. “You want to be with me?”

“I never said anything because I didn't want you to want us when we couldn't be together. I didn't want to hurt you more by opening a door we couldn't go through,” Dwight said.

Jordan nearly reached for Dwight before she caught herself. “I already wanted it. I just didn't think you did.”

“Well, I guess we're all on the same page then,” Victoria said.

“Wait, you'll still be there as Audrey, and Audrey loves Nathan. How is that going to work?” Jordan asked.

“I'm going to make the Barn put us into our bodies from that time with our knowledge from now. I won't be Audrey once we step out. I'll be me, Victoria.”

“Then what happens? You and I are tied to this Barn in ways I can't begin to understand,” Duke said.

“Once I fix love, you'll be released. I'm honestly not sure what will happen to me, but you will be fine,” she smiled.

They entered the Barn. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted the Barn to do. She opened the door, and they all saw the scene from twenty-seven years ago.

“Dwight,” Victoria urged.

Dwight stepped out of the Barn and vanished.

“Where'd he...” Jordan began.

“Look,” Victoria interrupted her and pointed to the Dwight from the past.

Dwight shook visibly and nearly collapsed. He stared at the Barn door as if waiting for something.

“Jordan,” Victoria said.

Jordan stepped out of the Barn and vanished. They saw the Jordan from the past rush from the side of the Barn to Dwight.

“Guys,” Victoria said.

Duke and Nathan stepped out holding hands and vanished. The bodies from the past shook and nearly fell to the ground. They looked at each other, and then each rushed into the other man's arms.

Victoria stepped out. Suddenly she was looking at Nathan and Duke instead of standing at the Barn. She smiled at her friends.

Behind her the Barn began collapsing. It wasn't imploding this time. It simply fell flat and vanished.

“Is everyone okay?” she asked.

“I can feel Duke,” Nathan said as he pulled Duke closer to him.

Jordan removed her gloves. She was afraid to touch anyone, but Dwight pushed his shirt sleeve higher. “Only one way to know for sure,” he said as he smiled at Jordan.

She hesitantly touched his arm. When she looked at his face for signs of pain, he grabbed her and kissed her passionately.

“Audrey? What happened?” Dave asked.

“I'm not Audrey, Dave. My name is Victoria. Victoria Teagues. The Troubles are finally over.”

“Teagues? You're a Teagues?” Vince asked.

She smiled.

 

The people of Haven had gotten anxious when the time of the Troubles would have started again. No one could quite believe it really was over.

Duke and Nathan were still together and ran The Grey Gull. They fought. They made up. They fought more. They always would.

Dwight and Jordan had married and had three children. He was now the Chief of the Haven Police Department.

Victoria had learned all about her family. Crocker's wife had secretly cursed them to work against her and keep her from finding out the truth while her husband had worked his magic to enable them to help the people his wife had cursed. They had walked a fine line for centuries, never quite understanding why they had conflicting urges where she was concerned. She was proud of them all.

She was satisfied with her new life. She had friends that she adored and family she hadn't expected. James had come out of the Barn right before Mandie had. They found him in Boston right where Duke said he would be.

Haven was a safe place. Haven was a happy place. Haven was a true haven.


End file.
